It's nearly impossible not to feel or get "rookie fever",
especially when you find yourself in the midst of a rookie draft
like I am at the moment. With that said, early June is as good
as any to start getting real about the incoming class. I believe
draft prep should begin with rookies every season simply because
they bring more of the unknown to the table than any other group
of players.

Unlike last year, there should be more than just a handful of
freshmen who leave a significant footprint in fantasy in 2017.
Because this class is more loaded than last year's, we are stretching
this out over two weeks - like we did back in the good ole days.
This week's offering covers the 12 players I thought were the
most noteworthy outside the top 10 - six honorable mentions and
six players who will receive the same treatment as next week's
list. That doesn't mean this week's article is just a teaser;
even the most casual college football fans are going to recognize
some of the names I discuss this week.

Note: The rankings below are for the 2017
season only and ranked in order of likelihood of fantasy impact.
(For example, quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson may accrue more
fantasy points given the nature of their position, but the chances
of them impacting a fantasy team are slimmer than say, a potential
fantasy WR3 in a three-WR league, because the receiver may become
an every-week fantasy starter.) The RB3/WR4-type designations
I make are what I expect that rookie to be in PPR formats this
season.

Njoku has the talent to be the best tight end in this class.
He had one significant obstacle to his immediate success removed
when Cleveland released Gary Barnidge after the draft, but the
Browns actually have a fair amount of veteran talent at the position
already. The biggest problem for the No. 29 overall selection
is the quarterback situation. Cody Kessler may end up being a
serviceable pro when all is said and done, but does he project
as a quarterback who is going to make all of his receivers better
over the next two to three years? Does Brock Osweiler or DeShone Kizer fit that description? I think the answer to each question
is "no". Njoku is such an incredible athlete he may
be able to overcome average quarterback play down the road, but
he is extreme longshot to do it as a rookie who will turn 21 in
July. While he'll likely occasionally flash enough to get owners
to bite on the waiver wire, the odds are strong his first year
will be a rough one from a fantasy perspective.

Watson is probably going to make some starts in 2017, and it
could happen as soon as Week 1. Tom Savage has shown very little
durability over his three-year career and has yet to throw for
a touchdown in the NFL. In fact, his only true advantage over
the rookie may be the fact he has a three-year head start in HC
Bill O'Brien's offense. Watson is a threat as a rusher and will
generate his fair share of fantasy points because of it as a result
- perhaps enough to be considered a middling fantasy QB2 option
- but he is not a running quarterback per se. Despite having plenty
of weapons at his disposal with the Texans, he needs time to develop
and should be ushered in slowly. As such, a good fantasy week
out of him this season may be something along the lines of 215
yards passing, 25 yards rushing, two touchdowns and one interception.
I suppose there is some potential for a Dak Prescott-like rookie
campaign here, but the Texans don't boast the same kind of offensive
line Dallas does.

With Le'Veon
Bell around, Conner isn't going to find himself playing all
that much. However, owners are well aware of the problems Bell
has had staying on the field - be it due to injury or suspension
- and if/when those problems rear their ugly head again in 2017,
Conner figures to dominate the fantasy box score in the same way
DeAngelo
Williams did during his two-year stay in Pittsburgh.

It was pretty much a no-brainer the Rams were going to target
the offensive side of the ball in the draft, especially any player
who catches passes for a living. No one has ever done that at
the FBS or FCS level quite like Kupp, who finished his college
career with 428 receptions at FCS Eastern Washington. Let's quickly
erase the lack-of-competition myth as well: in his three opportunities
against FBS programs over the last three years, he roasted Washington
(2014), Oregon (2015) and Washington State for 35 catches, 597
yards and eight TDs. Kupp doesn't boast elite measurables, but
I'm not sure that matters all that much in this case; he plays
a different game mentally than his competition. He figures to
be a high-volume target who will play the slot role of Jamison Crowder in new HC Sean McVay's offense. On an offense where it
is difficult to find one receiver of winning his matchup most
weeks and with a front five that still has some holes, Kupp may
find himself catching a lot of five-yard passes over the middle.

It wouldn't be terribly surprising if the Packers had a top-10
fantasy back in 2017. Pegging who that player may be will be a
challenge, since Ty Montgomery is a near-lock to begin the season
as the starter. Will it stay that way? Under HC Mike McCarthy,
Green Bay has a history of favoring bigger backs, as Ryan Grant
and Eddie Lacy have each enjoyed multiple years of sustained success.
Assuming 230-pound seventh-round pick Devante Mays ends up on
the practice squad, Williams is the only power back the Packers
have. For an offense that projects to be as good as Green Bay's,
he could be positioned nicely for 10-plus touchdowns if he secures
goal-line work. Montgomery offers some power at 216 pounds and
there's always the chance he blossoms into a more physical runner
as he gets a full offseason to play his new position, but he seems
much more like a committee back than a feature back. And then
there's Jones, who may just be the player who can make this offense
truly special. It's hard to recall the last time the Packers had
a big-play threat like him in their backfield (he is more explosive
than Brandon Jackson was), and one has to wonder if GM Ted Thompson
selected him as a player who will be a nice backup to Montgomery,
a safe fallback option if Montgomery's transition to running back
doesn't work out, a committee partner with Williams or an eventual
lead back. They are all realistic possibilities. If I had to put
my money on one back stepping forward for Green Bay in 2017, it
would be Williams, but the reality is any of the three could be
that guy.

Speedster John Ross may have a difficult
time carving out a volume role in his rookie season.

2017 Projected Role: Complementary
player; likely Week 1 starter opposite A.J. Green who may share
snaps initially with Brandon LaFell should the Bengals want to
reduce his injury risk. He should eventually move into the role
once occupied by Marvin Jones.

Mind-blowing college stat: Ross
scored 24 touchdowns on only 134 offensive touches over his three-year
career at Washington.

Why he will live up to this ranking and
perhaps exceed it: With the Bengals viewing Tyler Boyd
mostly as a slot receiver, LaFell will serve as Ross' primary
competition for the right to line up opposite Green. It's a contest
he should win rather easily, even if Cincinnati sticks with its
recent history of bringing rookies along slowly. The Bengals will
only be kidding themselves if they rule Ross versus LaFell a draw
heading into the regular-season opener; LaFell's 64-692-6 line
looks OK to the owner who only cares about the year-end numbers,
but he really boosted his final numbers over the last three games
in which Green and Tyler Eifert did not play (or played very little).
Ross is more than just a 4.22 speed receiver; he understands how
to set up cornerbacks in order to gain separation downfield and
is the rare rookie wideout who can actually run routes. The presence
of Green and Eifert may cap his touchdown upside, but can defenses
really take a safety away from either one of them in order to
protect themselves against Ross? Probably not.

Why he won’t: Supporting
casts can be funny; a good one will allow a potential star to
really shine, but a great one may keep a potential star from emerging.
Ross is not going to overtake Green in the Bengals' passing-game
hierarchy, and Eifert has emerged as a very potent red zone option
when healthy. Thus, Ross is really going to need to be efficient
because he isn't going to benefit from extreme volume or being
the primary red zone option. Cincinnati's offensive line is also
a work in progress and may not be able to give Andy Dalton enough
time as Ross owners might like. Thus, the Washington product may
need to show off his ability to run dig and hook routes for most
of his rookie season, at least until Dalton has enough confidence
in him to let him compete for 50/50 balls against bigger corners.
Ross has already proven to be quite injury-prone as well, so add
durability onto the list of reasons why the rookie may struggle
to become an every-week starter in 2017.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: It's really
hard to forecast what Ross will do as a rookie. For starters,
can he play all 16 games? Will the Bengals let him start right
away or defer to the veteran LaFell just because he has more experience?
Will Eifert pick this year to stay healthy? Will the offensive
line and running game be good enough to give Ross another half-second
to get open deep more often on play-action? If Cincinnati doesn't
play games with its No. 9 overall pick and lets him hit the ground
running, he could be the top rookie receiver in this class. However,
an investment in Ross comes with frightening injury risk and probably
an expectation he is going to miss some time. There are enough
obstacles here that Ross needs to be viewed as no more than a
WR4 in fantasy, capable of delivering week-winning upside from
time to time.

2017 Projected Role: Complementary player; although he should
be a clear Week 1 starter, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson figure
to be the top two options in the passing game. Howard should be
able to emerge as the Bucs' second-best red zone option in relatively
short order, however.

Mind-blowing college stat: Howard averaged 157 receiving yards
and 1.5 TDs in two games against Clemson versus 29.4 yards and
0.08 scores in his other 48 outings.

Why he will live up to this ranking and perhaps exceed it: Howard
compares very favorably to Greg Olsen, which should tell you everything
you know about his upside in the short- and long-term. The Alabama
alum is as complete of a tight end prospect as the draft has offered
in recent years, posting near ideal size (6-6), speed (4.51),
hands (three drops in two seasons) and grading out as a top blocker,
meaning he should settle in as a three-down player right away
- far from a given for any rookie tight end. Not surprisingly
for someone with his athletic profile, Howard also boasts impressive
versatility, as he played in-line, at H-back, in the slot and
out wide last season. The No. 19 overall pick is also going to
benefit from his supporting cast, as Evans and Jackson each demand
safety help, which should enable Howard to do battle against a
third safety in a big nickel package or a linebacker in a base
package - both of which are matchups that favor the rookie in
a big way. Jameis Winston also possesses a big arm, is one of
the most aggressive downfield passers in the league and has shown
quite an affinity for tight ends going back to his college days,
so Howard's ability to stretch the seam and catch everything thrown
his way figures to keep him near and dear to his young quarterback's
heart.

Why he won’t: Howard's prospects for long-term success
look pretty good, but what he lacks in terms of quantity of immediate
roadblocks, he makes up for in the quality of the obstacles. Tight
ends rarely ever thrive - at least in terms of fantasy numbers
- in their rookie season. (Unlike a player will discuss later,
Evan Engram, Howard is a true tight end.) As noted earlier, Evans
and Jackson are going to be the primary receiving threats when
healthy, at least in 2017. Cameron Brate broke out in a big way
in 2016 and isn't going anywhere; his presence - along with the
lack of a standout third receiver - will probably make Tampa Bay
an offense which runs two-tight formations more than any team
in the league. Evans and Brate figure to remain very much primary
targets near the goal line as well, further reducing the number
of ways Howard could buck the trend of rookie tight ends not producing
solid fantasy numbers.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: There's no need to feel sorry for Howard,
as he'll be a Pro Bowl-level tight end soon enough. Just how quickly
he will get there is the question. Playing time should not be
a problem, but Brate's presence alone will probably keep him from
becoming only the 14th tight end in league history to exceed 40
catches, 500 yards and five touchdown catches as a rookie. So
why is even on the list? Since tight end remains such a shallow
position for fantasy purposes, any player at the position capable
of coming close to the aforementioned benchmarks is probably on
the radar as a TE2, and any tight end capable of hitting two of
marks is probably on the TE1 radar. Having said that, Howard should
be considered a high-upside TE2 at draft time who may struggle
to finish inside the top 15 at the position if Tampa Bay's skill-position
players stay healthy.

2017 Projected Role: Possible committee back with Carlos Hyde,
assuming he can beat out Tim Hightower for the backup role at
some point in camp.

Mind-blowing college stats: Upon
his return from a four-game "retirement", Williams averaged
190 yards rushing over the final seven games of his college career.
Also, his 22 runs of 15-plus yards were 10th-most among draft-eligible
runners despite having the 20th-most rushing attempts, per Pro
Football Focus.

Why he will live up to this ranking and perhaps exceed it: New
HC Kyle Shanahan has proven time and again he knows how to spot
a running back who fits his system or the ability to tweak his
system to adjust to existing personnel. It seems fairly obvious
he liked what he had in Atlanta because Williams (5-11, 205) is
very comparable to Tevin Coleman (6-1, 210) in that both are similarly
sized runners with big-time speed, possess incredible acceleration
and are decisive north-south runners. There are obvious differences,
most notably Williams is not as physical as a runner and more
Devonta Freeman than Coleman when it comes to lateral agility.
At any rate, Williams was a man possessed upon his return to the
gridiron - after finally allowing himself the ability to grieve
for his deceased sister - in mid-October last fall, taking on
a true feature-back role for Utah after the Utes were devastated
by injury at the position. He is also a very impressive athlete
who won't require a lot of touches in order to have a big impact
on the box score.

Why he won’t: Shanahan's vote of confidence and knack for
spotting talent at the running back position for Williams is huge,
because the UConn transfer has his share of flaws, even if we
overlook his short retirement (which we should). He lost six fumbles
in 289 carries at Utah. He caught only 20 passes in two years
as a Ute, dropping five of the 27 catchable passes he saw, per
PFF. If he can't make significant strides in this area, it could
be a huge problem considering the Niners will be trailing in more
games than not. Williams is not a good blocker at this point of
his career either, and his effort in that area of his game has
been called into question. He also isn't a particularly powerful
runner, so Hyde and Hightower should see the bulk of opportunities
near the goal line. Speaking of Hyde, he may be injury-prone,
but he seems highly unlikely to fall below a committee back this
season. Dating back to his days at Ohio State and through last
season under then-HC Chip Kelly, however, Hyde has always been
more comfortable in a shotgun-based offense and his numbers would
appear to back that up.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: It's OK
if you don't want to buy into Williams as a high-end NFL running
back just because of his amazing finish to last season. While
he has a multitude of shortcomings at this point of his career,
the fact of the matter is this: he is a "Shanahan back"
with an injury-prone starter (Hyde) in the final year of his contract
in front of him who is not tied to the new front office in San
Fran and a 31-year-old journeyman (Hightower) who was added more
for his veteran presence than his ability to push for a starting
role. Hyde has yet to make it through a complete season as a college
or pro player, so the odds are definitely in Williams' favor he
will be seeing a heavy workload in at least a few games as a rookie,
and that assumes he doesn't win the job outright - a possibility
CSN
Bay Area's Matt Maiocco floated last month. At this point,
it doesn't matter if Williams wins the job because the majority
of owners will be working under the expectation Hyde will be the
primary back, so his cost is likely to remain pretty throughout
the summer. A healthy projection for Williams would be for him
to start a handful of games due to a Hyde injury and a couple
more at the end of the season once San Francisco is clearly out
of the playoff picture, making him a RB4 with considerable upside.

2017 Projected Role: Complementary player; Week 1 starter who
should see time in the slot, although the Giants plan on treating
him like a "normal" tight end for now.

Mind-blowing college stat: Per PFF, Engram caught 10-for-17 targets
for 337 yards and three touchdowns on balls thrown at least 20
yards downfield over the last two seasons.

Why he will live up to this ranking and perhaps exceed it: One
of the goals of any offensive coordinator is to find a player
who is next to impossible to defend. At 6-3 and 234 pounds with
4.42 speed and more fluidity to his game than most college tight
ends, Engram should be that kind of player immediately. (In fact,
a case could be made for turning him into a receiver should he
wash out for some reason as a tight end.) Odell Beckham Jr. is
the top priority for every Giants' opponent as it is, so adding
a player like Engram who can outrun virtually every linebacker
in the league and has roughly a 20-30 pound advantage on - and
can run as fast as - most safeties is almost unfair. As his aforementioned
speed suggests, the Ole Miss product stretches the seam as well
as any tight end in this class and gets downfield as well as most
receivers. Although he doesn't boast the size of most traditional
tight ends, Engram should be one of Eli Manning's favorite options
in the red zone, not only because Eli has shown a willingness
to target the position in close, but also because of the mismatch
opportunity he presents.

Why he won’t: The Giants are entering this season with
the hope they can make the No. 23 overall selection a "complete"
tight end. It would be a mistake to use him like that, at least
in his first year. It would be one thing if he occasionally showed
the ability to block well in college, but he struggled to neutralize
defensive backs, much less 260- to 280-pound pro defensive ends.
There is no good that can come out of asking Engram to be an in-line
tight end at this point of his career; he will most likely get
Manning blown up, hurt himself or both. Beyond that, it's hard
to see where Engram fits in a normal pass-play progression. OBJ
figures to be the first or second option on just about every play,
while Brandon Marshall should be a 60-or-so catch contributor
who fights Beckham for the team lead in red zone scores. With
Engram locked into a pure tight end role for now, Sterling Shepard
will live in the slot - probably the former's best position -
and steal another 60-or-so receptions and 5-7 scores. In short,
Engram may be the fourth option at best on the majority of pass
plays. While it seems rather obvious, the fourth-most important
receiver on an offense typically isn't getting a lot of love in
fantasy. And let's not forget just how much Manning struggled
last season, when he struggled just to make two receivers fantasy-relevant
every week.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: Most tight ends struggle in their rookie
season, but I don't think Engram will fall on his face simply
because he is young. Beckham is a near-lock for roughly 90 catches
and 150-plus targets, while Marshall and Shepard should each see
60 and probably 100-plus, respectively. Paul Perkins and Shane
Vereen are each very capable in the passing game and could combine
for 60 and 100 as well, meaning there about 150 targets left among
the rest of the team if Manning finishes around the 598 attempts
he had in 2016. Teams usually find a way to get at least 10 players
at least a few passes thrown their way during the season, so the
squeeze is already on just to get Engram to 80 targets, much less
100 or 120. Of course, that assumes he can handle the punishment
that comes along with chipping defensive ends or blocking linebackers,
which is far from a guarantee if only because he really has never
been asked to do it consistently. The sooner the Giants realize
their best formation may be going four-wide, the better it will
be for Engram's ability to be a viable low-end fantasy option
as a rookie. He has 60-catch upside as a rookie, but he is going
to need A LOT of things to work out in his favor that don't appear
to be very realistic at the moment.

2017 Projected Role: Complementary player; should begin the season
behind Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams as the No. 3 receiver.
Given Allen's recent injury woes, he could move into the starting
lineup quickly, emerge as the first or second option in the red
zone and become a rich man's Malcom Floyd as a rookie. He could
also overtake Tyrell Williams before midseason if Allen stays
healthy.

Mind-blowing college stat: Per PFF, Williams dropped only 5.77
percent of his opportunities in 2016. Conversely, he averaged
a mere four yards after catch per reception.

Why he will live up to this ranking and perhaps exceed it: With
a 6-4, 218-pound frame and the ability to win contested throws
in the same way Alshon Jeffery does, Williams makes for an inviting
target and appealing red zone option. Philip Rivers has long been
an underappreciated quarterback and performed exceptionally in
recent years - even while the offense was losing a key lineman
or receiver seemingly every other week and Antonio Gates continued
to age. Rivers is as aggressive as of a downfield thrower as there
is in the league, and Williams is capable of being the best vertical
threat the Chargers have at some point in the near future. LA
addressed the offensive line in the offseason and should be able
to keep Rivers upright long enough to attack downfield on a more
consistent basis sooner than later, while Melvin Gordon gives
the ground game enough bite to force defenses to play receivers
honestly.

Why he won’t: How many No. 7 overall picks at receiver
aren't guaranteed starting jobs? There wasn't a shortage of viable
targets in Los Angeles before and there certainly isn't a lack
of options now. Allen, Tyrell Williams, Hunter Henry and Gordon
(and, to a lesser extent in 2017, Gates and Travis Benjamin) are
all going to be vying for attention from Rivers. Beyond that,
the running game should be improved and the defense could be quite
good if certain key members stay healthy this year and adapt quickly
to new DC Gus Bradley's Cover 3 defense. In other words, LA may
be able to get away with a more balanced offense than in years
past. Regarding the rookie, he does not yet have an extensive
route tree and probably isn't going to be able to change that
between now and the end of his rookie season.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: In case you hadn't noticed, the Chargers
already have a No. 1 receiver in Allen and a No. 2 in Tyrell Williams
who doesn't lack for talent or size. Heck, Benjamin has even been
a top receiver at times throughout his NFL career. Even if Gates'
role declines as much as most expect, Henry is ready to take over
and Rivers has repeatedly shown he loves his tight ends. Gordon
is a very good receiver out of the backfield as well, so it is
hard to see where Williams - who has plenty of room to grow as
a route-runner - is going to be the alpha dog in this passing
game anytime soon. It goes without saying the most probable path
for the rookie to be a regular fantasy starter in 2017 will be
if Allen is lost for a third straight season due to injury. Otherwise,
Mike Williams figures to be very much a hit-or-miss fantasy option.

2017 Projected Role: Complementary player and primary slot option
who will occasionally line up in the backfield and may serve the
team's primary kick and/or punt returner.

Mind-blowing college stats: Samuel
was the only player in FBS to gain more than 700 yards rushing
and 700 yards receiving last season; he also finished third in
the Big Ten in all-purpose yards with 1,655 despite touching the
ball only 177 times.

Why he will live up to this ranking and perhaps exceed it:Ted Ginn Jr. was able to have two successful stints with the Panthers,
who really have been the only team able to get something approaching
the most out of his talent throughout his career. Samuel is every
bit as fast, roughly 20 pounds heavier, more versatile and will
probably prove to be much more consistent (as in fewer drops)
as a receiver. While this particular all-purpose dynamo isn't
close to being a finished product at any one particular position,
the mere fact he can contribute in virtually every facet of the
game (running, receiving and returning) is going to make him a
very attractive option for OC Mike Shula and an incredibly high-upside
option in fantasy. Kelvin Benjamin may or may not return to his
sometimes-dominant form as a rookie, while Devin Funchess has
yet to put much of anything together. For an offense that should
push for 4,000 passing yards again, someone is going to need to
step up even after Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey get their
share. If Benjamin isn't near his 2014 form and/or Funchess doesn't
take a dramatic leap forward, that player will likely be Samuel
(just as Ginn was last year).

Why he won’t: In a perfect world, a Swiss-army knife player
would have at least one position mastered, but that is not the
case here. Samuel lined up at running back, Wildcat quarterback,
in the slot and outside for Ohio State in 2016, but so many of
his plays were designed with his unique talents in mind, and he
was a jack of so many trades that it made it hard for him to actually
get better at any one position. Samuel shows glimpses of being
a good route-runner, has a good feel as a runner out of the backfield
and comes armed with some pretty nice tools (stiff-arm, stop-start
ability, etc.), but he is more a part-time offensive weapon than
receiver or running back at this point of his career. While I
think Shula has a very clear idea of exactly how he wants to use
both McCaffrey and Samuel, offenses often can't afford to have
multiple "offensive weapons" on the field together because
it tips their hand. Both players can line up in the backfield
and play in the slot, but McCaffrey is much further along in his
development in both areas, so Samuel's playing time could suffer
as a rookie unless he eventually beats out Funchess.

2017 Fantasy Assessment: In my draft profile, I note Samuel was
a faster but overall less refined version of McCaffrey. (Little
did I know they would end up on the same team.) Ginn's 2015 and
2016 numbers (catches and yards, not necessarily touchdowns) should
be considered Samuel's floor because not only will the rookie
essentially be taking over Ginn's role, but he figures to run
the ball perhaps 40 or 50 times as well. The second-round pick
should quickly become a fixture in the Panthers' offense, whether
he is operating as a clear-out receiver, in motion on jet-sweep
action, running a reverse or catching the ball on a bubble screen.
If we've learned anything from the likes of a player like Tavon Austin, it is that a wideout who sees action as a part-time runner
and part-time receiver can occasionally be viable in fantasy even
with a bad quarterback. Obviously, even though Cam Newton is significantly
better in just about every area than Case Keenum. In short, Samuel's
floor should be about 100 touches, which is more than enough to
make him a solid WR4 candidate in fantasy, especially for someone
with his big-play ability.

Doug Orth has written for FF
Today since 2006 and been featured in USA Today’s Fantasy
Football Preview magazine since 2010. He hosted USA Today’s
hour-long, pre-kickoff fantasy football internet chat every Sunday
in 2012-13 and appears as a guest analyst on a number of national
sports radio shows, including Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Drive”.
Doug is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.